SLIGHTLY NSFW CHAPTER

Shepard tilted her head and pressed her palm against the fish tank in her old cabin. Her fish and space Hamster were, sadly, gone. Garrus and the others had the unpleasant experience of fished out the fish, changing to water, and then getting rid of the dead hamster. Garrus stood behind her, watching her carefully. Jack and Wrex took the rest of her crew back to her overly large apartment. Garrus choose to stay behind, walking with Shepard around the rest of the Normandy.

"How long were you in the stasis pods before the my team found you?" Shepard asked, her fingers trailing down the tank.

"A little over two years." Garrus shrugged, "You still have us beat by a couple days."

Shepard laughed, turning and moving around the room. So many years has gone by but it feels like she was just here. Nothing has changed. The chess board she got from Aria when she helped her retake Omega laid on her coffee table, the picture she had of Garrus and herself still was taped on the side of the glass cases where all her model ships were laid.

"How long did it take to repair the ship?" Shepard stood with her back to the fish tank as Garrus walked to her. He placed his hands on her waist, her arms instinctively moving up his arms and resting on his shoulders.

"Not too long," he said quietly, pulling her even closer. "But too long. EDI was connected to a lot of the main systems. Mostly, all of them."

A faint smile graced Shepard's lips, "Exactly how long, Officer Vakarian."

"Pulling rank. Ah, I've missed that. Exactly six months, Commander."

"When you got off world, how long did the air supply last, Officer Vakarian?"

"Nine months, sevens days and thirteen hours, ma'am."

"Liara said you were one of the last crew members in stasis?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You did a good job, Vakarian, getting EDI up and running."

"It was a life and death situation, Commander."

"Officer Vakarian...when were you told that I was 'confirmed' dead?" Shepard looked up at Garrus, her lips thinned. He took a sharp breath, his eyes closing shut.

"I...A month before I entered the stasis pod." Shepard placed a hand on Garrus' scarred mandible, rubbing her thumb lightly along the faded scar.

"I'm so sorry, Garr—" He closed the distance between their mouths and gently kissed her. It was a sweet kiss, simple and pure. Seconds later when he released her, Shepard could not keep a smile from spreading across her face. He rested his forehead against hers.

"I've been waiting a long time for that," she murmured, licking her upper lip. Garrus opened his eyes and watched Shepard look up at him through her lashes.

"Garrus..." Shepard sighed, her hand trailing back up to his scarred mandible, "No more. I can't...I can't lose you again."

"No more dying?" He offered.

"No more dying, disappearing, hiding...No more being apart." Some tears fell from Shepard's eyes, "Deal?"

Garrus threaded his talons in her hair, "Deal." And then he crushed his mouth to hers and allowed himself to kiss her with abandon. The force caused Shepard to stagger backwards, slamming into the fish tank behind her. His body was warm and solid pressing against hers. She pulled him closer and tried to concentrate on the electric sensation. His tongue pushed past the seam of her lips and she felt her legs turn into jelly. He had to position his knee between her legs and hold her up by her waist to keep her from falling against the floor. He completely devoured her mouth. His tongue tangled with hers. The kiss was so intense that Shepard had to wonder how he even controlled himself the past hour they were alone. They shared hot breaths before he descend the slope of her neck.

Shepard moaned softly as Garrus nipped at the delicate skin of her throat. Her stomach dropped when she felt his teeth scraping her neck and tongue sliding over her racing pulse. She threw her head back and allowed him to leave nips on the underside of her jaw. Her breath hitched as she felt her shirt start to be pulled up. She tried pushing him away but he somehow took this as encouragement to kiss her mouth again, long and deep kisses that made Shepard forget how to breathe. "W—Wait!" Shepard pressed her palms against Garrus' chest, pushing him back, "I...I..."

Shepard shut her eyes and shook her head, "Garrus, I—"

"It's the scars." He didn't need Shepard to confirm what he already knew, "Shepard, I know how they found you. I know how you looked—the others, they don't. I know parts of your armor were melted onto your skin, I know how your hair was scorched and your face unrecognizable. I know what battle looks like and, hell, you were in a fucking war. I understood why you never wanted to show your face on the vids, I understood that you needed time."

"And now?" Shepard mumbled, looking down to the side and hugging herself.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll be okay if I need more time?" Shepard didn't look up at him. Garrus chuckled, moving his head down to nip at her neck.

"Of course. I love you, Shepard." Shepard laughed as Garrus nipped at her neck again, "Though, you don't mind if we just...make out a little."

Shepard smiled, "I honestly can't say no when you speak like that, Vakarian."

"Like what?" He's mandibles flared in wonder.

"Awkward. Bashful." Shepard clicked her tongue, a smug smirk forcing it way on her lips, "Unconfident."

"Let me show you just how confident I can be, Commander."